As the January first tradition passes us by, many find themselves overwhelmed, attempting to keep up with the promises they made. New Year’s resolutions help start the year off strong and are vital to the image you want to pursue in 2024. Making resolutions and sticking to them are two different things- they require persistence and determination if they are to last the next 365 days. This year, Jackson-Reed tigers have taken their resolutions seriously, with a determination on starting the year off strong.
After much thought, Junior Aleks Jakobsons shares his hopes of creating good habits, exercising 3 days a week, staying off his phone, and eating healthier. To keep up with his resolutions, Aleks has already taken the step of deleting social media like TikTok, along with downloading an app called Habits, which has helped him keep track of his new hobbies.
Secondly, Sophomore Annika Russell uses this time to reflect what habits will bring her to succeed this year. Annika has chosen the difficult route of taking two Advanced Placement courses, as a sophomore, so far she has come to understand that when taking AP classes, “you have to rely on yourself to take notes on specific information, that isn’t always given.” Thus leading us to her resolution this year of taking notes out of class, even if she might have missed it due to a teacher’s lack of instruction. This will cause her to become “more informed from the start”, and will be another step in the right direction to becoming a more prepared student.
Similar to Jakobsons, Junior Dani Jablonski starts her year off with a change of priorities. After struggling with the addictions brought on by social media, Jablonski has decided to take the step of deleting Instagram. She hopes this switch will alleviate some of the stress social media adds to her life. In place of Instagram scrolling, she has dedicated herself to writing or drawing every day for at least 15 minutes. So far, she has enjoyed both the creativity of writing and the reduced screen time, and highly suggests this to contribute to a stress-free mindset.
Finding new hobbies to kick off the new year, Junior Hugh Bakel describes his fresh start as a way to enjoy the little things such as reading, cooking, and drawing. He believes these new pastimes will be a perfect way to entertain himself when not in the midst of school work. He hopes these new habits continue for the rest of the year.
Senior Mati Verrone has decided to dedicate his resolutions to the community he loves, Jackson-Reed soccer, and he hopes this year to advance his abilities as a player. Verrone stated, “In the past season I feel I’ve gained a lot of progress and enjoy putting in the work.” He looks forward to the next season where he can utilize his new skills and put in the extra time to grow as a player. His final resolution pertains to his status as a senior. Enjoying his last few months at Jackson-Reed, Verrone has prioritized time with friends and relishes in concluding high school events. The pure excitement of prom, senior ditch day, beach week and many more has Verrone pushing through in these final months.
No matter how small the resolution, each is important to the improvements you want to see in yourself. Taking advantage of this blank slate as our Jackson-Reed tigers have guarantees a successful start to the year!
